DIY & Crafts

DIY Rabbit Cage – Guide on How to Build a Rabbit Hutch

by craftmin | December 14, 2017

Soft and fluffy, rabbits are some of the most popular pets after cats and dogs because they are really quiet pets with all the cuddliness we need. From Bugs Bunny to Thumper to Peter Rabbit, we all want them to have happy hutches, which is why we have this indoor diy rabbit cage step-by-step guide, as well as hutches meant for the backyard and general care tips for your rabbit.

Happy homes make for happy pets and these DIY rabbit cage plans and templates will make for happier rabbits. Bunnies love a hutch with an upper deck, and all of these hutches are sure to make your pet super happy. Our collection of DIY rabbit cage and hutches that you can download freely include portable and wheeled cages to adjustable hutches.

DIY Rabbit Cage Indoor Condo Step-by Step Guide

This is an indoor rabbit cage for a single adult rabbit. The one thing that is most important for rabbits is space because they need to hop and move around their hutches for exercise. They also need interest, which is wh most hutches have areas for exploration.

Materials you will need:

Cube Storage Wire Organizers – 2 sets

Plywood (this will depend on the width and length of your cube organizers. The sample here shows 28×13” and 28×24” boards)

Spring clamps – 3

Dowels – 4 wooden ones that run the length of the cage, and fit inside the grid

Zip ties – 2 packs of 100s

Three small spring clamps

DIY Rabbit Cage Step-by-Stp Guide

(1) Make the diy rabbit cage main walls.

First, check the cube storage grids. Lay out the grids that will make up the two main walls. As you can see in the pictures, each wall is a 3 x 3 grid. This is the time for you to check that all the grids are facing the right way.

Before beginning, check to see whether your bunny is susceptible to nylon tie nibbling. Do this by fastening a zip tie onto the rabbit’s current housing and check whether your bunny chews on the tie. If they do, choose a different color or an alternative fastening such as duct tape.

Now, loosely join the grids together using the cable ties but do not tighten them yet. Repeat the same steps for the other main wall.

(2) Make the side walls.

Lay out the grids on the floor. The side walls shown here has a 2×3 grid. Next, fasten the cube storage grids together using the ties loosely. Repeat the same steps for the other side wall.

(3) Put the walls together.

Tie the four walls at the corners, but do not tighten the zip ties so that you can work out different cage shapes – triangles, hexagons or just a plain square. This is the perfect time to determine the final shape of your diy rabbit cage. According to our DIY-er, for the cage pictured above, Mopsy chose a rectangle.

Once you have decided on the shape, it’s time to add more loosely-fastened zip ties before we add the dowels and the plywood.

(4) Place the dowels.

Rabbits love puzzles and they love multi-tiered housing so you should now decide how you are going to place the different levels of the cage. From that, you will know where to insert the dowels. Place the longest pairs of dowel across the length of the cage by inserting them through the grids. Secure with loose zip ties.

(5) Place the plywood.

Measure, mark, and cut the plywood to fit the width of the rabbit condo. The length should be big enough for the rabbit to sleep and play with enough space for rabbit toys and props. Don’t forget to leave room to hop up to the next level or down to where the litter box is going to be.

This diy rabbit cage doesn’t have a top wall because Mopsy, the inhabitant-to-be, doesn’t like hopping over walls or jumping great heights. You will need to be strategic about placing furniture beside the bunny condo so they don’t try to escape.

(6) Tighten and clip.

Finally, time to tighten those zip ties. Cut the loose ends of the ties and sand the edges so neither you, the kids or, most importantly, Mopsy won’t get scratched.

(7) Fix the dowels securely.

Tighten the zip ties fastening the dowels. Secure firmly then clip and sand the edges.

(8) Clip the ties, clip the door.

Completely cut off the loose ends of the zip ties but don’t be afraid to add more ties to make the cage more stable and secure. Remember that your bunny will soon be hopping and rubbing against the cage. Finally, using the small spring clips, close the door of the cage. Use a brightly-colored clip so you can easily find it when opening the door or if you drop it in the hay.

(9) Furnish as desired.

Some people say that rabbit paws are soft and tender, so cushioned and soft surfaces may be best for our bunny condo. However, remember that rabbits are wild animals who are used to living outdoors, so instead of using a towel or blanket as shown above, just use layers of hay or straw so that your bunny can nest. Add your litter tray, your water container and your lil bunny’s favorite toys.

The Hay Tray

Rabbits love hay, mainly for bedding but also sometimes to chew on for a snack (be aware though, rabbits do need ore than just hay to eat to be healthy!). They tend to poop and urinate in the same place, which makes for a cleaner cage. Don’t worry, your bunny won’t soil his food but if you’re concerned abut mess, you can make a hay feeder aka a rabbit hay rack.

Hay racks are separate containers usually open only at the bottom where the rabbit can get to it. The top is covered with a lid that can be removed to add more hay. The rabbit will simply take the hay at the bottom of the feeder.

For the litter tray, fill a section of the cage with wood pellets. Once soiled, you can just throw the pelletes in your compost bin and then replace them with a new batch.

Casters and baseboard mouldings

You can buy and attach casters so you can move the cage for cleaning the room or other purposes. To help with room cleaning, attach baseboard moulding at the side so the hay won’t spread and dirty the other parts of the room.

DIY Rabbit Cage Plans and Schematicsfor the Backyard

(1) Two-decked DIY Rabbit Cage

When Jamison’s daughter held a rabbit in her arms during a farm visit, they all knew that pet was coming home with them. Barely a week after, Jamison was already planning a DIY rabbit cage. The great thing about his design was that it was spacious for one rabbit (you never know really, do you?) and that there’s a “keep the rabbit warm” enclosed space.

This is a two-storey hutch which the rabbit can hop up or down and remains open to the grass and ground. The lower and upper decks are connected with a chicken-wired ramp, making for well-ventilated and healthy hutch for a much-loved rabbit.

(2) Build an Easy Wheeled DIY Rabbit Hutch

Building a rabbit hutch that moves along like a wheelbarrow for a granddaughter? Why not? Also, can it be easily accessible for cleaning and feeding the two long-haired pets? Sure, no problem. Oh, can you also add an entry door so the rabbits can easily get in and out? Lastly, can the entry door double as a ramp? No problem at all.

This is the cage that Buildeazy built and has generously shared through his downloadable plans, diagrams and how-to. This DIY rabbit cage is compact and portable and very kid-friendly, not to mention easy to clean due to a self-adhesive vinyl film that can quickly be wiped down.

(3) Small But Spacious for Young Rabbits

Little Tassie Prepper has been raising rabbits for several years and she built this small rabbit hutch, refined and approved through years of experience, for raising the young ‘uns. his DIY rabbit cage has been built to be portable so it can be moved regularly to fresh grass and is designed to house 3 to 6 young rabbits.

The wire bottom with its big spaces is intended to be put over clean and untreated grass which the bunnies will then eat. The hutch is also meant to be moved regularly, so that the bunnies have enough to eat and to give your grass a chance to grow back.

The hutch doesn’t sit on the horizontal beam but rather on four vertical poles, which ensures that the hutch remains stable on uneven ground as it is moved around. Additionally, Little Tassie Prepper constructed a resting and sleeping area for the bunnies, using a staple gun for ease of work.

She opted to use a wired top lid to finish the small DIY rabbit cage. It works because it’s meant for maturing rabbits and she has a different cage for the baby bunnies. This is a great DIY rabbit cage for those with no or very minimal carpentry experience.

(4) Kid-friendly Bunny Hotel

Early on, jhawkins14 over in Instructables noticed that most commercially-sold rabbit hutches used top-opening lids. This was problematic for him because every little thing meant opening a heavy lid – petting the rabbit, moving a dish, cleaning, and everything else. It was also quite dangerous for little kids.

So when the lid and hinge in his store-bought hutch finally wore out, he decided to make his own DIY rabbit cage. He outdid himself and decided to make it a kid-friendly, bunny-loving rabbit hotel.

They built their bunny hotel in the same area as the old rabbit cage, but greatly improved it. First, they made an easily-accesible space to collect the fertilizer balls bunnies produce – a must for gardeners who want an easy source of compost.

After framing the ground and soil, it was all about the bunny hotel. They made sure this DIY rabbit cage wouldn’t overheat, by leaving a part of the back open. They also used coated wire shelves made for indoor closets for additional comfort of the rabbits.

Another improvement was installing ramps on both sides of the hutch so the rabbits can freely come and go when they’re going around the garden. Finally, he constructed front doors for ease of access – for bunnies and owners. Cleaning is easier, getting the water dish that was pushed at the back is easier, and both the kids and the rabbits are happy. What a lovely hotel for our furry friends.

(5) Sectional DIY Rabbit Cage for an Urban Homestead

Maine, the land of lobsters and wild winters, made user Daddy Engine consider the best way to raise rabbits in an urban homestead setting. His solution: a five-section DIY rabbit cage that he can move to his cellar if the temperatures get too low during winters. Also, he remembered that rabbits can produce 8-10 baby bunnies every litter so, for less than $250, he built this sectional cage for a breeding pair and their babies.

A great thing about his design is how it can be expanded or scaled-down depending on the number of rabbits you plan to have. After drawing up the plans on paper, he scouted for materials he still had before buying his supplies which, of course, minimized costs as he found a load of spare plywood.

Our DIYer built from the floor up and then attached the legs later.

(6) Outdoor DIY Rabbit Cage

The breed of rabbit you plan to raise will determine the kind of hutch you should be making as different rabbit breeds require different living conditions. When using wood for your DIY rabbit cage, make sure to sanitize it before use. Of course, our hutch should, at the very basic level, protect the rabbits from predators and keep them safe during bad weather.

(7) Free and Easy Adjustable DIY Rabbit Cage

This free rabbit hutch plan is easy enough to use even with the most basic of woodworking tools. The hutch can easily be used for other pets which is, of course, a great plus. It’s so sturdy that you will be thinking years of use or even multi-use if you plan to have a menagerie of animals.